Purina Veterinary Diets DCO Dry Dog Food Review
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Purina Veterinary Diets DCO Dry Dog Food Review
Purina Veterinary Diets DCO Canine Formula Dog Food Review:
- Animal Digest - Minus 1 point = animal digest
- Corn - Minus 1 point = Whole grain corn, corn gluten meal
- Wheat - Plus 1 point = No wheat
- Soy - Plus 1 point = No Soy
- Gluten - Minus 1 point = corn gluten meal
- Extra Goodies - Minus 1 point = dried beet pulp, salt
- By-Products - Minus 1 point = poultry by-product meal
- Animal Fat - Minus 1 point = animal fat
- Pet Food Recalls - Minus 1 point = Recalls Purina
- Class Action - Minus 1 point = Class Action Purina
Dog Food Rating for Purina Veterinary Diets DCO Canine Formula Dog Food Review:
Total Score = 2/10
Ask Susan Peters How did Purina Veterinary Diets DCO Canine Formula Rate in the Dog Food Ratings?
Why would a vet want their clients to feed this to their pets? This DCO Canine Formula is JUNK!! We can buy better stuff at Wal Mart for much less money. I would not feed this to my pets! The least I would expect from a Vet Formula product (or any other pet food for that matter) is a 10 out of 10 rating!
Susan Peters
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3 Pack FortiFlora CANINE- Box of 30 (1gram packets)
Price: $50.99
List Price: $88.43 |
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FortiFlora FELINE - Box of 30 (1 gram packets)
Price: $18.20
List Price: $34.99 |
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Fancy Feast Gourmet Cat Food Grilled 3-Flavor Variety Pack, 3-Ounce Cans (Pack of 24)
Price: $16.39
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Friskies Cat Food Favorites, 6-Flavor Variety Pack,3-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 24)
Price: $14.99
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Comments
Purina DCO looks bad on paper, but it definately smooths the peaks and vallys of glucose levels in my two dogs. I've traditionally fed Innova, Burns, or home prepared meals and was very reluctant to feed Purina DCO. I've never seen an ingredient list on any prescription food that impressed me, but in reality, the DCO makes a huge difference in controlling the diabetes.
Gail,
Purina DCO looks bad on paper because it doesn't have good things in it. Ol Roy scored higher than Purina DCO. Look for a food to feed which doesn't use corn. Corn is converted directly to sugar once digested. I'm sure your babies would fair much better on a dog food made to be healthy for your dogs. Wal-Mart sells a product called Maxximum. The stuff is around $12.00 for a 20 pound bag. The Maxximum scored 3 times better than Purina DCO. Save the money on the food, pay the vet bills with the savings then consider changing vets.
I'm glad you let me know how your dogs are doing on Purina DCO. It's always nice to hear from someone who uses the products I review. I do find it very odd that you have two dogs with diabetes. But what I find most disturbing is that your vet is letting you continue to feed a product which works against the diabetes condition.
Best of luck to you,
Susan
My dog has Cushings disease. The medicine gives him lose stools, creating anal gland infection. After just two meals of Purina DCO his stools are as they should be. I used Wellness, Blue, some of the more expensive dog foods that did not contain corn as the first few ingredients, but they did not do the trick. I have used pumpkin to firm the stools and it works quite well, but is more work and sometime he does not want to eat it.
Pjb26287,
Ol Roy rated higher than this stuff. Remove the corn from your pet's diet and most of the symptoms will be gone. I can't feel comfortable feeding a pet manure (animal digest) along with ingredients proven to kill pets. Does your vet sell this stuff? If the answer is "yes" change vets!
Susan
I have one dog with diabetes who had a bout with bloody diarrhea and a recently adopted greyhound. I asked my vet to put the diabetic dog on a prescription dog food. She put him on Purina DCO and a canned dog food from Science Diet. Since then he has not had another episode of bloody diarrhea. The greyhound's stools were extremely soft, bordering on loose and I couldn't seem to firm them up no matter what I fed her. I started gradually feeding her the DCO and by the time she was completely switched over her stools were firm. Now I'm reading that the DCO is "junk" and I'm so confused. I only want what is best for them.
Melissa,
Corn, Wheat, and Soy are like feeding poison to your cat or dog. Which ever pet food you decide to feed to your pet make sure the food does not include these three grains.
Look over the simple chart listed above. You should be feeding a pet food with a 10/10.
If I can be of any further help to you, please let me know.
Susan
The best advice I ever read about dog food was not to listen to what people say and do what works for your dog. My dog had chronic diarrhea for her first year of life, she had two bouts of hemmoraghic gastrointeristis (bleeding intestines) that could have killed her and is allergic to lamb. I have tried every food and the ONLY thing that keeps her stool healthy is a diet of chicken and corn. Rice runs right through her. It is important to remember that every dog is different and you need to do what works for your dog. Purina DCO is saving my dog's life by keeping her stools regular, her intestines calm and her body healthy.
Renee,
I'm glad you have given us this fine report on DCO.
I wish the best of luck to you!
Susan
Dear Susan,
If only these pet owners had a crystal ball and could see the impending Cancer,
Diabetes, renal failures... which their pets will inevitably suffer due to going to vets who have such a conflict of interest, selling and "recommending" corn, peanut hull, and soy-laden junk on ttheir pets, only to make them sicker in the long run!
If my child's Pediatrition "recommended" a Frito-Lays chips "diet" for my child, I know I'd change doctors! What's the difference with these vets? Why is this even allowed with all the research which has proven such?
I looked at the ingredients in Ol' Roy -- even that looks healthier than those "prescription" scams! At least there are vegetables in there, and high (in comparison) on the ingredient list!!
The only thing I avoid with mre vegenance than harmful food is a vet which pushes it!! We are SUPPOSED to be trusting them with our pets' health!
Dear Susan,
If only these pet owners had a crystal ball and could see the impending Cancer,
Diabetes, renal failures... which their pets will inevitably suffer due to going to vets who have such a conflict of interest, selling and "recommending" corn, peanut hull, and soy-laden junk on ttheir pets, only to make them sicker in the long run!
If my child's Pediatrition "recommended" a Frito-Lays chips "diet" for my child, I know I'd change doctors! What's the difference with these vets? Why is this even allowed with all the research which has proven such?
I looked at the ingredients in Ol' Roy -- even that looks healthier than those "prescription" scams! At least there are vegetables in there, and high (in comparison) on the ingredient list!!
The only thing I avoid with mre vegenance than harmful food is a vet which pushes it!! We are SUPPOSED to be trusting them with our pets' health!
Me,
I would stand on the roof tops and scream your message!
Susan
I see no phone number that I can call for assistance.
You should not be telling people that they're killing their dogs by feed this because it is not true and the scary thing is that people will listen. Do you even know what by-products are? Nothing inherently bad with them, just what is left after using that food item for human foods. For example, whey is a cheese by-product, but we know that it contains lots of good proteins. Corn, Wheat, and Soy are all perfectly good for dogs. Humans eat these things as health foods, especially wheat and soy. Corn and wheat are good sources of energy and fiber, and soy is a good protein source. I hope nobody is actually listening to what you say here; it is scary to know that these lies are on the internet, in plain sight for clients to read.
Are you a trained Vet? I think maybe you should do more research before you start talking about a product that has not had any health problems but has only benefit the animals that have been on it! It is formulated to work with different health related issues. Just because it was rated by some unknown company as better than a $20 bag at Wallmart does not say anything about how effective the diet is. Feel free to feed your dogs what ever you want, if you feel that there is a more nutritional diet out there.
Dear Readers,
I am a technician at a veterinarian's office and we prescribe the entire line of purina foods to our patients with confidence. It has saved many patients and made many happy owners. After reading the comments, I noticed that people who had bad things to say about DCO seem to be very opinionated and have little experience actually feeding this food to their animal. The people with positive comments were all based on actual experience with their dog and the health problems that this diet can solve. I am not a trained veterinarian yet, but I am more than willing to have our doctor answer any questions from these nay-sayers. If you are a dog owner and your dog is sick and you go online and read these comments and get scared to feed your dog this DCO food, please talk to your vet, the real professionals in this whole situation. Also, Susan Peters, are you a vet? If you are than good for you, but I'm sure vets all across the country can't be wrong.
Dear Vet(s), vet tech(s) or whomever else on this website is considered an animal "professional",
I will first start by saying that I am not a trained vet or vet tech. If you feel that immediately discredits what I have to say then stop reading, my argument is useless if you're going in with a closed mind.
For those who want to better their pet's health, I suggest you continue to read!
I would also like to state that ultimately you should do what's best for your dog, and if you truly feel Purina works, then feed it. But you should also note the dangers of feeding a grain based food and be educated before you make your final decision.
Grains are not natural for a dog. Dogs evolved from Dingoes, which evolved from wolves; and I promise that in the wild wolves aren't going to their local bakery for the freshest loaf of bread.
Nor do wolves that have access to cornfields go and destroy farmers' crop by eating the corn. Wolves were anatomically designed to rip, tear and crush meat and bones. Wolves also don't pick berries in the forest; their fruit and vegetable intake comes from the stomachs of their prey.
How does this relate to dogs? In the thousands of years since the domesticated dog showed up on man's doorstep, a dog's insides are still identical to wolves'. Meaning a dog's diet should consist of everything a wolves' diet contains; no more, no less.
Grains like corn, wheat and soy are not natural, and thus a dog, anatomically, has not been evolved to digest these ingredients. Not even humans can fully digest corn, it just tastes fantastic! The argument that grains provide good carbohydrates for humans is completely worthless - dogs are not humans and have vastly different needs than humans!
A dog's diet should consist of meat, bones, organs and a very small amount of fruits and vegetables.
Still not convinced? If you are feeding a grain based dog food, chances are your dog either has, or will develop allergies. Wolves and dogs studied in the wild do not display signs of allergies. Why? Because they eat what they are supposed to. They hunt down prey, consume the entire thing and therefore get the nutrients they need.
Now I'm not saying dogs should only be fed raw prey food. Although people certianly do that, and all report that their dogs are in top condition, I understand convenience. I have a job and go to college part time. I can't afford fresh prey food, I certainly don't want to touch it, and for days when I need to feed my dogs and dash out the door, I wouldn't have time to prepare their food.
I have fed Iams, Purina, NutroMax as well as Eukanuba, and both of my dogs had dry, itchy skin associated with allergies and both loved nothing more than laying around all day farting. The result may work for stool hardness, but my dogs looked miserable.
I thought I just had lazy dogs. After the dog food recall happened I switched food to Orijen - a food based completely off of dogs and wolves in the wild. It is completely grain free and consists of mainly meat, with smaller amounts of fruits and vegetables, all cold cooked to preserve nutrients. Not only that, but the Orijen company uses fresh ingredients that are never frozen and are local to their plant in Canada. No Chinese, hyper-preserved ingredients are used in this food. Also the company promises never to use ingredients with BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin which are known possible carcinogens and were also involved heavily in the pet food recall.
Within a week of feeding this both of my dogs were bouncing around full of energy! I had never seen that out of them feeding grain based foods. Both of their allergy prolems cleared up, and except for the major shedding seasons, I'm sweeping up a lot less fur. Their stool was initially loose, but after doing some research online, it's normal to take a while for their stomachs to adjust to such a rich food. It took a whole bag, but their stool is much harder and better looking now. There's also way less of it.
Do more research about grain based diets before you really listen to your vet for nutrition. I don't buy into conspiracy theories but the word on the street is that vets get very little training in dog nutrition, and that the training they do receive is sponsered by the pet food they sell. More and more specific dog nutritionists are popping up, and NONE of them reccomend foods loaded with grains. Sorry vets. I'd rather trust someone who is a certified nutritionist.
So I say do your research. Know what's really best for your dog and see what works. If you still feel that Purina is the best food out there, your mind was never going to change anyway.
Quit feeding these people lies.
AskSusanPeters says:
3 years ago
Here is a product in line for a Class Action Lawsuit!
Susan Peters